Page 120 of Hale Yes
No one else was seen until Nicolette and I arrived first each morning, as usual.
“Shit, let’s watch it again,” I say, frustrated beyond belief. “Maybe slower this time.”
“I need to go pick up my kiddo,” Phoenix murmurs. “Do you want me to get Mom to pick her up so I can stay with you?”
“No, you’re fine.” I glance at my dad, whose face looks haggard and still a bit pale. “Why don’t you drop Dad off at his house since he’s in the same neighborhood as us?”
“I can stay,” our father protests.
Bernadette takes over, obviously picking up my cues that Dad needs some rest. “Mr. Hale, let me do my job. Dr. Hale will stay with me as an extra set of eyes, but there’s no need for you to watch all this again. If we see anyone, I’ll call you straight away, but I’m not hopeful. There’s simply no one there.”
Dad’s body sags a little. “So you’re telling me a damn ghost sneaked in and stole that information?”
“I have no idea, sir, but I’ll get to the bottom of it. I doubt anyone would steal it during the day because there are so many people around, but we will check the hallway feeds throughout both workdays just to make sure no unauthorized person went into Dr. Hale’s office.”
Finally relenting, my father allows Phoenix to drive him home, and Bernadette and I get back to work.
We watch the two days on fast-forward, only slowing down when someone passes my office door. The only person who didn’t simply walk by was Isla, and the camera clearly showed her sticking my messages in the box affixed to my door and immediately going back to her own office. No one went inside except for Nicolette and me, and we were always together.
I check my phone for the time and notice a text message from my girlfriend.
Nicolette: Hey, want to grab dinner?
Hesitating, I decide not to fill her in on the situation by text. She’s understandably going to be upset, and I want to be there tocomfort her when she finds out the news that our work has been stolen.
Helix: Not tonight. I’m worn out.
It’s the truth. This whole thing has me exhausted.
Nicolette: Ok, see you tomorrow. Love you.
Helix: Love you too, baby.
“What time do you get off work?” I ask Bernadette when I pocket my phone. It’s after seven in the evening.
“My shift ends at midnight, but I’ll stay as long as you need me. Let’s watch the nighttime videos again, as my guess is that’s when the information was stolen.”
“Do you want me to order you some food?” I ask, and she shakes her head.
“I brought my dinner, but you can order something for yourself.”
My nose crinkles at the thought of eating. I’m sick to my stomach over this. “I’m okay, but you go ahead and take a break if you need to.”
Instead, she brings her sandwich to the control room, and we begin watching the footage once again, not at regular speed but definitely slower than the first time.
When we get to 11:08 p.m. on the first night, Bernadette freezes the feed, rewinds it to 11:04, and turns it back on. My eyes search the screen, but I see nothing except for a fly buzzing by the camera.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” she says.
I lean closer, wondering what the hell she’s seeing that I’m not. “What is it?”
“Watch the fly,” she says, rewinding again and slowing the feed to regular speed.
The insect flies in a circle in front of the camera and then zooms off to the right of the screen.
“Okay, so you think the fly is a thief in disguise?” I ask, unable to hold back my sarcasm.
“Keep watching,” she says. Four minutes later, the fly is back. He circles once and then exits the view to the right, just like before. We continue watching, and the exact same thing happens again. Bernadette’s voice is hard when she explains. “This part of the video is on a loop.”
